North Carolina v. Alford

North Carolina v. Alford (1970) is a Supreme Court case that established a plea bargain option called an "Alford plea." It allows a defendant to plead guilty while still asserting innocence, usually to avoid the risk of a harsher sentence if found guilty at trial. The court must accept this plea if it believes there’s a strong enough case against the defendant and that the plea is made voluntarily and knowingly. This allows defendants to accept a plea deal without admitting guilt, balancing their right to maintain innocence with efficient justice administration.